Santorum to backers: What's next?

The curtain had barely fallen on his 2012 presidential campaign before Rick Santorum asked his top supporters: what’s next?

With his insurgent White House bid, Santorum cut himself a path back to national prominence. Starting on the night of the Iowa caucuses and proceeding through a series of conservative Southern and Midwestern primary contests, Santorum gradually regained much of the standing he lost when the voters of Pennsylvania ran him out of office six years ago.

It’s very much an open question where Santorum’s political aspirations will lead. But on a Tuesday afternoon conference call, Santorum was already asking some of his strongest backers for advice on where he should next set his sights.

“He conveyed his genuine sense of calling to public service — and public service means more than just elective office,” said Colin Hanna, the Pennsylvania conservative activist who heads the group Let Freedom Ring. “He solicited suggestions from his supporters on how he could and should continue to give voice to the themes that touched so many, so positively, during his campaign.”

Said Hanna: “His theme is not, 'my campaign is over.' His theme is: ‘I feel a sense of calling to this work. What’s the next phase?’”

Multiple conservative leaders who participated in the call said Santorum indicated he is not implacably opposed to Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign, and one participant emphasized “he’s not bitter” about how his 2012 effort ended.

“I think he’s doing exactly what he needs to do, and that is to take a little time, probably get some sleep. Rick was that candidate that really believes what he’s saying and continues to feel really strongly and deeply about the issues of the day,” the Santorum supporter said. “I think he understands that it’s important for him to be involved in the process, and we all want him to” participate in some way.

Though Santorum did not endorse Romney in his concession speech Tuesday, adviser John Brabender said it would be wrong to read into that any hesitation about helping the presumptive GOP nominee. Brabender said Romney had called Santorum and expressed a desire to meet and discuss how Santorum could be helpful, and that Santorum had been receptive.

“Rick felt it was more appropriate to see if the governor is going to ask for Rick’s endorsement,” said Brabender, who has advised Santorum since he first ran for the House in 1990. “Today, we felt that the message was very clear that the senator’s suspending his campaign.”

Over the long run, Santorum is likely to have a variety of opportunities. He could attempt to run for statewide office again in Pennsylvania or mount another national campaign in 2016 if President Barack Obama is reelected this year.

In the nearer term, Santorum’s options may be greater in the advocacy and commentary arena. He could potentially return to his old gigs as a Philadelphia Inquirer columnist or a guest host for radio-talker Bill Bennett, sources said, or perhaps to his former position as a Fox News contributor. (A Fox spokesperson was not immediately available for comment.)

But Susan B. Anthony List President Marjorie Dannenfelser, whose anti-abortion rights group endorsed Santorum and aired radio ads on his behalf, said it was far from obvious how Santorum would channel his ambitions on a larger scale.

“In terms of his future, I have to admit I don’t really know. With Santorum, he’s a guy who truly is about calling and vocation. It’s not a word that most people in politics use very often,” she said. “He’s spent the last several years involved in projects that were really designed to influence our culture at the heart of it. It’s very unpredictable. He is not a predictable political guy.”